The Muslim News

Dundee, The Courier:

FIRST MINISTER Jack McConnell yesterday ruled out direct Executive funding for Muslim schools in Scotland in the wake of the highly critical report on the Imam Muhammad Zakariya school in Dundee.

The privately-run school has been given six months to comply with a series of recommendations or face closure.

In a damning report, inspectors this week said the school was not fulfilling its aim of educating pupils in line with the standards of the Scottish system.

A spokesman for the Campaign for State Muslim Schools in Scotland said the report strengthened the group’s argument for state funding.

However, at a press conference in Edinburgh yesterday, Mr McConnell said funding for Muslim schools was a matter for local councils. He was also adamant that schools of any nature which do not meet national standards will be closed down.

“State funding for Muslim schools is a matter for local authorities,” he said.

Mr McConnell added, “No matter what the nature of the school it should meet national standards.

“Where they don’t meet that they can be closed down.

“And we shall do it with particular faith schools as well as (with) any other.”

The report on the Imam Muhammad Zakariya school found that, despite having been informed by inspectors in September 2002 that the quality of education and care was not good enough, the school had “failed to effect significant changes.”

The school has described the criticism as “fair” and was confident of meeting the requirements.

The campaign group is a coalition of Muslim organisations, mosques, parents and teachers from across Scotland, and the spoke-man said, “The Muslim community in Scotland craves a school that they can call their own, reflecting their beliefs and values.

“In their pursuit of this, some individuals have tried setting up private institutions to fill this gaping vacuum.

“So the HMIE report actually again strengthens our argument for state-funded Muslim schools.”

A private Islamic school in Glasgow was also criticised last year after an inspection by education officials.

Learning and teaching at Iqra Academy, on the south side of Glasgow, was said to be of poor quality.

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